


A Stained Legacy

by AnAntTM



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Post Game, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 22:52:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17395220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnAntTM/pseuds/AnAntTM
Summary: The issue of succession has come up. With Conrad stepping down from the throne, this forces Alm and Celica to ascend... but a guilty conscience makes Alm believe he doesn’t deserve the crown.





	A Stained Legacy

    The red-haired man stepped down from the throne, both figuratively and literally. It was a decision that had been a relief for him.

Only him, it seemed.   
Alm breathed a heavy sigh; his fears had come true. Conrad declared having no interest in becoming king of the unified Valentia, even if he was Celica’s other brother and thus had a higher claim. This was a reality he knew was very likely, but some part of him hoped it wouldn’t come to be. For as much as he ranted to Celica about King Lima’s reign, he didn’t know the first thing about being a king. 

. . . But that wasn’t the only thing weighing down his conscience. He thought the guilt would just go away; time heals all wounds, as the saying goes. It had been many months now, but even to this day Alm couldn’t stand to hold a sword in his hands. His tired, bloodstained hands.

How could someone like him, a man who murdered his king… no, murdered his /father/ have any right to the throne? There was no honor in regicide, much less in kinslaying. He didn’t deserve that crown anymore… or did he ever?

Pained by his own thoughts, Alm hadn’t even noticed someone had approached him now. A sigh escaped his lips, followed by a shake of his head.

“I’m not in the mood to talk.” He finally said.

“Then you’re going to listen, boy.” A much older, familiar, and stern voice called out to him.

Furrowing his brows, Alm turned to face his visitor. It was just as he expected.

“Grandpa? What do you want?”

“It’s about you. I want to ask you something: are you a coward, Alm?”

“. . . Excuse me?” Alm’s voice had just a tinge of annoyance. Grandpa really had a way of pushing the right buttons on him.

“I asked if you’re a coward, boy. You’ve been sulking about this castle like a damned craven for days now. Everyone’s noticed it.

How do you expect to run a country if you’re scurrying away from your destiny like some scared child?”

Alm couldn’t help but scoff. 

“Destiny? Oh right. I murdered my father in cold blood, stole his kingdom… and you want to talk to me about /destiny?/ I never asked for this, I never /wanted/ this, Grandpa! You knew damn well this was all going to turn out this way, but you let me go anyway.

To hell with your destiny.” This was not a conversation he wanted to have, it played with his emotions too much.

Unfortunately, Alm could not storm off because Mycen would simply stand in his way.

The old man sighed, closing his eyes. A moment passed before he spoke again.

“. . . Boy. Just what do you think would have happened to your father if you weren’t there to stop him?”

“Clive would’ve done it. Or Lukas, or Forsyth… any of them could’ve.” Alm was quick to retort back.

“They only made it that far because of /your/ leadership, Alm.” Mycen brushed aside Alm’s comments as mere disruptions in his train of thought. 

“Do you know /why/ your father ‘abandoned’ you? He wanted to keep you away from the Faithful. Those mad zealots would have sacrificed you like they did all those poor maidens.

. . . And the same would have happened to your father if they found out he was hiding a son with the Mark.”

This time, Alm had nothing to fire back with. He was just going to listen to what Mycen had to say.

“Your father’s death was a /mercy,/ Alm. You let him go out on the terms /he/ wanted, don’t you understand that?”

Yet another part of Alm knew that the old man had a point. His father wouldn’t even so much as raise a blade against him.

There was that smile on his father’s face while the old emperor succumbed to his wounds...

“Tell me, boy. Do you remember what you said to me when you first stepped foot in Zofia Castle after its liberation? ‘Nothing will stop me. Nothing will break me. I’ll see this through to the end.’ 

This /is/ the end, Alm. Do not let your father’s sacrifice break you. He expected more of you, boy. /I/ expect more from you.

‘See this through to the end.’ You’ve earned it.” Mycen spoke with such conviction, as if he believed in every word he spoke.

The more Alm thought about it, the more he did too. He’d been so focused on tormenting himself at his actions… he hadn’t even considered what his father would have wanted. Everything had gone according to plan.

“Grandpa, I… I know it’s what he wanted, but I just can’t forget. I still feel guilty.”

“I understand. I don’t expect you to just forgive yourself right this second. But your father loved you, boy. As his closest friend, I know this as fact. Trust me.

Grant him this one final wish. Accept your birthright as king.”

A deep sigh, calming himself down. Finally, his head slowly nodded.

“. . . Alright. I’ll do it.”

That brought a smile to the old man’s face. His tone lost a tinge of its sternness, for what that’s worth.

“Albein Rudolf… you truly are your father’s son. I’m sure wherever he is, he’s proud of the man you’ve become.” He gave the prince a pat on the back.

Maybe one day, Alm would truly be able to forgive himself. Doing so won’t be an easy task; but Mycen’s words had helped to put the prince’s mind at ease, if for even just a moment. All he knew for sure was, he won’t ever let his father or Grandpa down.


End file.
